Dispersal and oviposition behaviour of Diabrotica virgifera virgifera in non-maize crops to improve advice and guidelines for crop rotation

Verbreitungs- und Eiablageverhalten von Diabrotica virgifera virgifera in Nicht-Mais-Kulturen zur Verbesserung von Beratung und Richtlinien für den Fruchtwechse

Validating Psychometric Questionnaires Using Experience-Sampling Data: The Case of Nightmare Distress

Nightmares are a comparatively frequent phenomenon. They are often accompanied by emotional distress and gain clinical relevance when recurrent. To assess how much distress nightmares cause the individual, the Nightmare Distress Questionnaire (NDQ, Belicki, 1992) is probably the most often used measure. However, its validity is still disputed. To analyze the validity of the proposed three NDQ subscales in more detail, we conducted an experience sampling study, gathering data either in real-time or short retrospective timeframes over the course of 22 days twice per day (N = 92 participants). The measurements were implemented via a mobile app using participants’ own smartphones. Besides the dream quality, we assessed concepts on a daily basis that past research found to be related to dreams. These included critical life events, alcohol consumption, eating behavior, and well-being. We found that only the subscales “general nightmare distress” and “impact on sleep” showed convergent as well as divergent validity. The validity of the subscale “impact on daily reality perception” is unclear. If at all, this subscale is rather indirectly associated with nightmare distress. Furthermore, all of the NDQ items did not differentiate between a bad dream and a nightmare, which suggests that the NDQ might rather be a measure of negative dreams in general and not nightmares in particular. Based on the present experience sampling design, we propose to advance the validation process by further possibilities, such as an item-level, person-level, and multi-level approach. This approach seems to be especially fruitful for concepts which are not very salient (e.g., laughter), can hardly be remembered retrospectively (e.g., dream content), or are potentially threatened by recall biases (e.g., alcohol consumption)

Conservation and global distribution of non-canonical antigens in enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli

BACKGROUND: Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) cause significant diarrheal morbidity and mortality in children of resource-limited regions, warranting development of effective vaccine strategies. Genetic diversity of the ETEC pathovar has impeded development of broadly protective vaccines centered on the classical canonical antigens, the colonization factors and heat-labile toxin. Two non-canonical ETEC antigens, the EtpA adhesin, and the EatA mucinase are immunogenic in humans and protective in animal models. To foster rational vaccine design that complements existing strategies, we examined the distribution and molecular conservation of these antigens in a diverse population of ETEC isolates. METHODS: Geographically diverse ETEC isolates (n = 1159) were interrogated by PCR, immunoblotting, and/or whole genome sequencing (n = 46) to examine antigen conservation. The most divergent proteins were purified and their core functions assessed in vitro. RESULTS: EatA and EtpA or their coding sequences were present in 57.0% and 51.5% of the ETEC isolates overall, respectively; and were globally dispersed without significant regional differences in antigen distribution. These antigens also exhibited \u3e93% amino acid sequence identity with even the most divergent proteins retaining the core adhesin and mucinase activity assigned to the prototype molecules. CONCLUSIONS: EtpA and EatA are well-conserved molecules in the ETEC pathovar, suggesting that they serve important roles in virulence and that they could be exploited for rational vaccine design

Improving the normalization of complex interventions: measure development based on normalization process theory (NoMAD): study protocol

<b>Background</b> Understanding implementation processes is key to ensuring that complex interventions in healthcare are taken up in practice and thus maximize intended benefits for service provision and (ultimately) care to patients. Normalization Process Theory (NPT) provides a framework for understanding how a new intervention becomes part of normal practice. This study aims to develop and validate simple generic tools derived from NPT, to be used to improve the implementation of complex healthcare interventions.<p></p> <b>Objectives</b> The objectives of this study are to: develop a set of NPT-based measures and formatively evaluate their use for identifying implementation problems and monitoring progress; conduct preliminary evaluation of these measures across a range of interventions and contexts, and identify factors that affect this process; explore the utility of these measures for predicting outcomes; and develop an online users’ manual for the measures.<p></p> <b>Methods</b> A combination of qualitative (workshops, item development, user feedback, cognitive interviews) and quantitative (survey) methods will be used to develop NPT measures, and test the utility of the measures in six healthcare intervention settings.<p></p> <b>Discussion</b> The measures developed in the study will be available for use by those involved in planning, implementing, and evaluating complex interventions in healthcare and have the potential to enhance the chances of their implementation, leading to sustained changes in working practices

Spin-photon interface and spin-controlled photon switching in a nanobeam waveguide

Access to the electron spin is at the heart of many protocols for integrated and distributed quantum-information processing [1-4]. For instance, interfacing the spin-state of an electron and a photon can be utilized to perform quantum gates between photons [2,5] or to entangle remote spin states [6-9]. Ultimately, a quantum network of entangled spins constitutes a new paradigm in quantum optics [1]. Towards this goal, an integrated spin-photon interface would be a major leap forward. Here we demonstrate an efficient and optically programmable interface between the spin of an electron in a quantum dot and photons in a nanophotonic waveguide. The spin can be deterministically prepared with a fidelity of 96\%. Subsequently the system is used to implement a "single-spin photonic switch", where the spin state of the electron directs the flow of photons through the waveguide. The spin-photon interface may enable on-chip photon-photon gates [2], single-photon transistors [10], and efficient photonic cluster state generation [11]

Electronic Quantum Coherence in Glycine Molecules Probed with Ultrashort X-ray Pulses in Real Time

Structural changes in nature and technology are driven by charge carrier motion. A process such as charge-directed reactivity that can be operational in radiobiology is more efficient, if energy transfer and charge motion proceeds along well-defined quantum mechanical pathways keeping the coherence and minimizing dissipation. The open question is: do long-lived electronic quantum coherences exist in complex molecules? Here, we use x-rays to create and monitor electronic wave packets in the amino acid glycine. The outgoing photoelectron wave leaves behind a positive charge formed by a superposition of quantum mechanical eigenstates. Delayed x-ray pulses track the induced electronic coherence through the photoelectron emission from the sequential double photoionization processes. The observed sinusoidal modulation of the detected electron yield as a function of time clearly demonstrates that electronic quantum coherence is preserved for at least 25 femtoseconds in this molecule of biological relevance. The surviving coherence is detected via the dominant sequential double ionization channel, which is found to exhibit a phase shift as a function of the photoelectron energy. The experimental results agree with advanced ab-initio simulations.Comment: 54 pages, 11 figure

K(2P)18.1 translates T cell receptor signals into thymic regulatory T cell development

It remains largely unclear how thymocytes translate relative differences in T cell receptor (TCR) signal strength into distinct developmental programs that drive the cell fate decisions towards conventional (Tconv) or regulatory T cells (Treg). Following TCR activation, intracellular calcium (Ca2+) is the most important second messenger, for which the potassium channel K(2P)18.1 is a relevant regulator. Here, we identify K(2P)18.1 as a central translator of the TCR signal into the thymus-derived Treg (tTreg) selection process. TCR signal was coupled to NF-kappa B-mediated K(2P)18.1 upregulation in tTreg progenitors. K(2P)18.1 provided the driving force for sustained Ca2+ influx that facilitated NF-kappa B- and NFAT-dependent expression of FoxP3, the master transcription factor for Treg development and function. Loss of K(2P)18.1 ion-current function induced a mild lymphoproliferative phenotype in mice, with reduced Treg numbers that led to aggravated experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, while a gain-of-function mutation in K(2P)18.1 resulted in increased Treg numbers in mice. Our findings in human thymus, recent thymic emigrants and multiple sclerosis patients with a dominant-negative missense K(2P)18.1 variant that is associated with poor clinical outcomes indicate that K(2P)18.1 also plays a role in human Treg development. Pharmacological modulation of K(2P)18.1 specifically modulated Treg numbers in vitro and in vivo. Finally, we identified nitroxoline as a K(2P)18.1 activator that led to rapid and reversible Treg increase in patients with urinary tract infections. Conclusively, our findings reveal how K(2P)18.1 translates TCR signals into thymic T cell fate decisions and Treg development, and provide a basis for the therapeutic utilization of Treg in several human disorders.Peer reviewe

Host galaxy identification for supernova surveys

Host galaxy identification is a crucial step for modern supernova (SN) surveys such as the Dark Energy Survey (DES) and the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST), which will discover SNe by the thousands. Spectroscopic resources are limited, so in the absence of real-time SN spectra these surveys must rely on host galaxy spectra to obtain accurate redshifts for the Hubble diagram and to improve photometric classification of SNe. In addition, SN luminosities are known to correlate with host-galaxy properties. Therefore, reliable identification of host galaxies is essential for cosmology and SN science. We simulate SN events and their locations within their host galaxies to develop and test methods for matching SNe to their hosts. We use both real and simulated galaxy catalog data from the Advanced Camera for Surveys General Catalog and MICECATv2.0, respectively. We also incorporate "hostless" SNe residing in undetected faint hosts into our analysis, with an assumed hostless rate of 5%. Our fully automated algorithm is run on catalog data and matches SNe to their hosts with 91% accuracy. We find that including a machine learning component, run after the initial matching algorithm, improves the accuracy (purity) of the matching to 97% with a 2% cost in efficiency (true positive rate). Although the exact results are dependent on the details of the survey and the galaxy catalogs used, the method of identifying host galaxies we outline here can be applied to any transient survey

Regeneration of myelin sheaths of normal length and thickness in the zebrafish CNS correlates with growth of axons in caliber

Demyelination is observed in numerous diseases of the central nervous system, including multiple sclerosis (MS). However, the endogenous regenerative process of remyelination can replace myelin lost in disease, and in various animal models. Unfortunately, the process of remyelination often fails, particularly with ageing. Even when remyelination occurs, it is characterised by the regeneration of myelin sheaths that are abnormally thin and short. This imperfect remyelination is likely to have implications for the restoration of normal circuit function and possibly the optimal metabolic support of axons. Here we describe a larval zebrafish model of demyelination and remyelination. We employ a drug-inducible cell ablation system with which we can consistently ablate 2/3rds of oligodendrocytes in the larval zebrafish spinal cord. This leads to a concomitant demyelination of 2/3rds of axons in the spinal cord, and an innate immune response over the same time period. We find restoration of the normal number of oligodendrocytes and robust remyelination approximately two weeks after induction of cell ablation, whereby myelinated axon number is restored to control levels. Remarkably, we find that myelin sheaths of normal length and thickness are regenerated during this time. Interestingly, we find that axons grow significantly in caliber during this period of remyelination. This suggests the possibility that the active growth of axons may stimulate the regeneration of myelin sheaths of normal dimensions